OK, I admit it, I am in no position to write a solid fanpost right now, but I do want to vent a bit.

After all I just gave up my Sunday afternoon - which I really, really needed for work, to watch this team play on a crappy little internet stream.

I had originally planned on not watching. I considered this a fool proof plan. If we won the game, then no biggie - it's the Raiders at home in a must win situation, really no chance they come out flat and blow it.  On the other hand, if by some strange break of events they did manage to find a way to lose, then I knew I wanted no part of watching it.  

 Anyway, good plan - poor execution.  Sort of like Dick Lebeau's defense in the fourth quarter. Like a fool I watched. Now it's 5:00 and I haven't done a shred of work, and I am feeling mad. Real mad.

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Let's take a trip back in time for a moment.  

The day is, April 26th 2008.  

You, like me, are glued to the TV waiting for the Steelers to draft in the first round.  At the time most mock drafts and much of the fan base had us taking a tackle in the first round. A few had us taking Jonathan Stewart, a big bruising back out of Oregon, to compliment Fast Willie Parker.  Others among the fanbase were hoping we would take a big bruiser on the defensive side of the ball.  

After an early run on Defensive linemen, we watched a run on O-linemen.  Ryan Clady, Brandon Alpert, Chris Williams, Gosder Cherilus, Sam Baker and Jeff Oteh all come of the board between pick 12 and pick 21.

In total 7 O-Linemen and 6 D-Line men were taken by the time that we picked 21st pick. What's more Jonathan Stewart, was gone - taken by Carolina with the 13th pick. 

Amidst all of this a young guy by the name of Rashard Mendenhall was quietly sliding down the board.  Mendehnall had been predicted as a 10-20 pick in most mocks.  A lot of people had him going to the Cardinals. Many others to the Bears or Panthers. 

When the Cowboys came on the clock with the 22nd pick it seemed likely that they would grab Mendenhall. Instead they took a speedster by the name of Felix Jones.  

Like many fans, I was both excited and a bit stumped when the Steelers grabbed Mendenhall with the 23rd pick.  

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As we sit back and celebrate the Steelers 28-10 pounding of the Broncos, it's easy to forget the very tough fist half the Broncos played against us.  Up until intermission, Denver dominated time of possession (19:16 to 10:44), yards (183 to 54), first downs (9 to 3) and third down efficency (56% vs. 40%) - pretty much every meaningful stat except the score.

In fact, the Broncos looked solid on both sides of the ball and I for one was worried that our defense might be gassed having played nearly 20 minutes in the thin air by half time.   

It's hard to imagine now, but the game might have turned out very differently if not for the Steelers third defensive TD in the 2 games, this one served up by the oft-maligned Tyrone Carter. 

More about the play in a second, but I want to remind people that Carter at 5-8, 190  age 33 has often been the target of criticism and frustration from many in the nation, especially when he has to come in and replace our FHOF safety Troy Polamalu.

Carter will likely never live down his open field miss in the the Jaguars-Steelers play-off game in 2007, but for a long time that play has overshadowed the contributions of a smart and solid veteran back-up, not to mention good guy. For a bit more about Carter, check out this excellent profile the post-gazette ran on him a couple of weeks back.  

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There is no question that the Tryone Carter Pick 6 was one of the biggest plays of the game. At that point the Broncos were up 3-0 with 13:01 left in the half.  

Denver had been feeding the Steelers a steady stream of dink and dunk, that appeared to be sorely bending though not yet breaking the LeBeau defense.  If not for a great play by William Gay in the red-zone on the Broncos first drive, they could have been out to a big early lead.  

Kyle Orton would go on to complete 16 of 21 in the first half for a total of 163 yards. And the Steelers offense never really got it going in the first half.  

Orton would only complete 7 of 17 in the second half and the Broncos would manage only 3 more first downs, while the Steelers, who had only managed 3 first downs in the first half would add 18 more first downs in the second half. Not too shabby.  

Now let's look at the play. 

Here is the full video of the play from NFL films

http://www.nfl.com/videos/pittsburgh-steelers/09000d5d81414d6d/Tyrone-Carter-Pick-6

Now let's break it down.  

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Let's start with the formations. The Broncos start this one with three receivers out to the left, the QB in the shotgun and one running back in the backfield.  The Steelers seem to be in a classic LeBeau set.  There are 5 guys on the line and two line backers in the box, plus one corner (William Gay) sitting outside on the empty side of the field.  Notcie that the lone Steelers defender on the top of the screen - Ike Taylor is playing a full ten yards off his man.  No one else is visible.  That means that Troy and Tyrone are up deep upfield

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The three Broncos receivers release, with Taylor, Troy and Carter still out of sight. As soon as the ball is snapped you begin to understand why this defense is so difficult to play against.  

Until they go (and even after) you have no idea which of the 8 guys in and around the box are coming at the QB. In this formation, 5 guys go at the Broncos six leaving both middle linebackers, the two corners and the two safeties in coverage, but you just don't know who is coming till the ball is snapped.  

As a side note, I think this is exactly the kind of formation that offenses including the Broncos have exploited for a lot of underneath stuff. This is the kind of stuff that come play-off time will turn in to a fascinating chess match between QBs like Peyton and Brady and LeBeau. 

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Notice where we are one second into the play. It's a bit difficult to know what is going on up-field, but at this point Orton does not yet have a receiver open.  The Steelers have brought 5 guys against 6 Broncos.  Buckhalter releases up field. You can see big Ziggy, leaving a trail of stardust as he runs hard at his guy. Kiesel is being double teamed (repsect!). Woodley is being well blocked and James Harrison is being (held around the neck) blocked by Ryan Clady.  

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 Another split second later, you will notice that Silverback is  completely around his man with a line to the QB and if not for an outstanding (stranglehold around the neck) block by Clady, Kyle Orton is eating dirt and smelling gorilla breath about a third of a second from now.   Woodley is well blocked.  

This is where it get's interesting, Chris Hoke, that would be your Nose Tackle peals off his block and goes to cover the running back.  That, my friends is a LeBeau defense.  Crazy like fox. 

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Another split second later and we end up with this look.

Notice that now, both Hood and Kiesel are double teamed.  Clady is still (strangling) blocking Harrison, Woodley is trying a spin move to bet back on the inside.  It looks like the protection aided by Clady's excellent lynching blocking of Harrison is going to give Orton all the time he needs to find an open man against the zone.  

Notice that Hoke is hauling his 300 pounds around the field with a speedy little back.  

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Another split second later and Woodley is falling to the ground, essentially out of the play. It's hard to see here but the Broncos right tackle pulled a classic Rick Mahorn move on him. As Woodley backed in to him, the guy just fell down backwards, causing Woodley who was pushing his weight in to him, to go down to the ground as well. Dangerous, but effective.  

Meanwhile Chris Hoke is running up field and getting a good bump on Buckhalter just inside 5 yards.  Orton has nothing down field - he pumps and does not throw.  Harrison is still being (affectionately hugged around the neck) blocked by Clady.

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Here is where the Steelers get lucky.

Notice that Buckhalter has run in to the ref, essentially keeping him from clearing Hoke's coverage a split second earlier.  Orton is still looking down field, but he is now staring down the very large Hood of a 2009 model Ziggy Steamroller, coming his way. 

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Orton releases to his check down, just as Ziggy plows into his midsection.  

Buckhalter, who has lost a step because hitting the ref, is out of position.  The ball is in the air here. You can barely see it, but it's hovering over the left hashmark at the 39 yard line.   Carter meanwhile is moving his old butt toward the play. 

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This just tells you how fast everything is in the NFL. Notice where the ball is (42 yard line over the left hashmark), where Carter is (51 yard line) and where Buckhalter is (47 yard line).  

It's hard to tell from the still that this won't be a nice gain over the middle instead of a pick six.  

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Carter catches the ball at about the 48 .  Since Buckhalter is underneath at around the 45-46 at the time, it tells me that Tryone did not jump the route, but rather that Buckhalter was never able to make it to his spot because of a combination of great coverage by Hoke, great pressure by Ziggy and a spot of nice luck in the form of a screen by the official.

Any of this things doesn't happen and this could go for another one of those short gains up the middle that the Broncos have built their season on.    

The only other thing I will add about the play is the Kiesel, who has spent the whole play occupying two Broncos linemen, essentially blocks both of them on the return. Once again he is showing Steeler nation what a man he is. He would go on to record two outstanding sacks and generally make Kyle Orton's life miserable. 

Drawing Conclusions one the Wall

When all is said and done, this play is an interesting microcosm of what the Steelers do on defense much of the time.  

You have the bend but don't break philosophy - which gives so many of us heart burn, but is the trademark of this incarnation of the Steelers D.   Remember how far-off the play our DBs were?  There was not one guy withing 10 yards of a receiver.  Most were about 20 yards away. You can't do that unless you have supreme confidence in your guys abilities to consistently make big open-field tackles. 

You have the crazy LeBeau defensive fronts.  Most plays you just have no idea which of the 11 men on the defensive side of the ball are going to attack the QB and which are going to drop back into coverage. Which is to say, when your 300 pound nose tackle is running 8 yards down field with a running back, that opens up some interesting options up-front. .  

Want more proof? Look again at the final picture. It's hard to tell here, but I think that's either Fox or Farrior standing at the 40 yard line in coverage on either Gaffeny or Royal.

Frankly thinking about those guys trying to man up against a receiver that fast should give you a heart attack.  And it would until you remember that somewhere back there, waiting and roaming like a dark, malevolent and hirsute shadow is one of the greatest whirling dervishes of a football player ever to play the safety position, a guy who is head and shoulders above all but a select few - Troy Polamalu.    

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7 benefits in one bottle? You could find worse descriptions of Troy's play. 

If he remains healthy and dandruff free, I like our chances of doing good things.  

Mazal Tov to Tyrone for two picks in one game. And thank God for Troy.  

One more Sunday, one more set of minor heart-attacks, and just as importantly one more victory.

Like it or not, that's our Pittsburgh Steelers.  What is interesting, is that in contrast to last year  when the Steelers made an art of coming back, this team has played almost the entire season with a lead.

In fact when the Vikings scored a TD in the second quarter to take a 4 point lead, it was the largest lead any team has held on us this season.  In our two losses Chicago and Cincinnati each held a 3 point lead for a total of 29 seconds combined.  The Vikings second quarter lead lasted less than 5 minutes, and despite a series of furious and frightening rallies, the Vikings never tied or lead again. 

As we move into the off week there will no doubt be plenty of debate about this team and it's chances to repeat. There is plenty of cause for optimism but also some obvious issues that need to be addressed. The most serious of these is our inability to put teams away. Before I look at the game, I just want to take a quick peak back over our shoulder.   

Seven games into the season and our Pittsburgh Steelers are 5-2.  For those of you wondering that's exactly where we were after 7 last year.  The big difference is that last year game 7 was a painful loss to the Giants. This week we come off an important win against a previously unbeaten team and head into a much needed off week. 

More after the jump. 

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Another day, another heart attack.  

The good news is, that like the cardiac kids of last year the Steelers found a way to win.

The stat hogs (Rivers, Brady and Manning) had great days. Ben didn't shine statistically, but we won one. It would be nice to have that and 400 yards in the air, but if you have to choose between the two it's a no brainer.

So on to the late games.  

The important one for us of course is Cinci at Chicago - the two teams who beat us this year.  

Obviously we are all Bears fans on this one. 

First half lead. 

Wallace playing great

Defense looking solid

Let's make this happen and finish like it's 2008

I think

that's 

enough 

letters? 

Right? 

Let me start with a quote.  This comes from our fearless leader and solid football prognosticator Blitz.  

It was written this summer as the Steelers began to contemplate their title defense in earnest. Blitz was writing a post projecting Santonio Holmes numbers for 2009. Before I give you the quote, here is Blitz's projections for Holmes' 2009 numbers. 

72 Catches  1115 Yards15.48 Yards per catch

If you actually extrapolate Holmes numbers based on his current totals you would wind up with: 

74 Catches 1168 Yards 15.6 Yards per catch

Now that we have established that Blitz sold his soul to the devil for the ability to make freakishly accurate stat predictions - I mean - knows a fair amount about football, let's look at what he had to say about the prospect of replacing Nate Washington. 

I think Limas Sweed and/or Mike Wallace can fill the void left by Nate Washington just fine, but it's worth remembering just how much Washington forced defenses to remain honest with his ability to stretch the field vertically. Furthermore, Washington was more than just a decoy if you consider just how much Big Ben liked to look his way. Decoys only work if you semi-occasionally throw them the ball. Will Ben feel comfortable enough with Wallace or forget about Sweed's struggles last year and look their way enough to get Holmes and Hines Ward open at other times?

Let me translate here. Blitz thinks we won't miss Nate, but he isn't quite sure. Sweed's struggles have correctly made Blitz nervous and Wallace at this point is about as proven a commodity as Frank the tank Summers or Darius Heyward Bey.  

Let me point out that Blitz was on the calm side of the continuum regarding his worry.   In his article titled "Steelers 2009: The Top Five Issues They Face at Camp"  Professional grouch reporter Ed Bouchette listed the receiver situation as number 1.  

Here is what he had to say about replacing Nate.  After praising Holmes and Ward (whose age worried many, myself included - woops) he goes on to lay out why we signed Shuan McDonald. 

The ambiguous nature of what stands behind them is what makes this the most pressing issue as the team enters training camp. Their returning teammates behind them have seven career regular-season receptions between them -- Limas Sweed, pictured at right, has six and Dallas Baker has one. That is why the Steelers added veteran Shaun McDonald, who languished as a free agent until they signed him May 1, and drafted Mike Wallace in the third round.

McDonald, listed as 5-feet-10 and 183, had a nice season with Detroit in 2007 when he led the Lions with 79 receptions, 943 yards and 6 touchdowns. He will compete with Sweed for the No. 3 job opened when Nate Washington signed as a free agent with Tennessee. Sweed, their second-round 2008 draft choice, is the key. He is 6-4 and can add a new dimension to their offense. Wallace also figures to be in the mix somewhere.

Notice where Wallace is?  Yup somewhere in the mix.  

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A couple months after the Super Bowl, I was brain storming with Blitz about possible features for this site. During the conversation we hit upon the idea of a google map for Steeler Nation. The main purpose of the map would be to help people find Steeler Bars - that is places to watch the game on Sunday. 

In any case, it's testament to my laziness that it has taken me nearly 8 months to get this post up.  However with some big deadlines looming on the school and work front, I figured this would be the perfect time to work on it.  

I like to think of procrastination as a double edged sword.  A sword that usually sits in the closet and isn't pulled out till the very last minute.

View Steeler Bars and Steeler Nation in a larger map">

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It's no secret that Steelers nation loves to hear Mike Tomlin speak. There might be no greater testament to this fact than the brilliant Tomlinism Tournament hosted by Maryrose at BTSC this summer.  

Several months have passed since we voted for a winner in the Tomlinism Super Bowl. For those of you who have forgotten, that winner was 

"Every day I walk by five Lombardi Trophies, not five rushing titles."

As Tomlin himself likes to point out, it's a new season with new challenges.  And what you have to like about Tomlin, apart from the fact that the line now has to be changed to "Every day I walk by six Lombardi Trophies", is that he keeps coming up with new pearls of coaching wisdom.  

Personally, I've come to think of Mike Tomlin as not just the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but as the coach of Steeler Nation. Each week he delivers a healthy dose of  wisdom nuggets, in tasty snack sized packets. He's like a self-help guru for the football obsessed. 

I thought it would be good to have an extra post up here to capture some of the new gold that's come our way since late June.  

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Let's be clear. As the picture clearly indicates, Mike Tomlin does not suffer fools.

That's not to say he's overly tough with his players. He is no Parcells or Coughlin. He doesn't even yell like the chin.  What he does is deal with issues head on.  

Since arriving in Pittsburgh, he has deftly handled one personnel issue after another.  Remember Alan Faneca's semi-open rebellion?  Handled with class. What about Casey Hampton's exploding waist line?  Check. Willie Parker's rushing title fantasies?  The 5 Lombardi trophies quote squashed that contraversy before it could take off. This year we saw how Tomlin deal with Rashard Mendenhall's failure to study the play book. No doghouses, just action and the thoughtful words to back it up.   

As Homer J. points out below, Tomlin is always in command of his language. He doesn't waste words or time.  Here are some of my favorite gems from this year:  

On the nature of emotion

Q: Were you worried when Troy came up limping?

A: I’ve learned to become a flat-liner. There’s a lot out there that’ll make your heart jump if you allow it.

We don't ride the emotional roller-coaster. 

 

On dealing with obstacles, frustration and public urination: 

Q: Is there a degree of frustration on your part in having to deal with this matter (Jeff reed hitting cops)?

A: I wouldn’t necessarily call it frustration. I acknowledge what comes with this job. I’d like to be 6-0 but I’m not. I don’t always get what I want in this business. It’s not something that’s pleasant. Anything that takes away from game preparation and game readiness is a distraction. Anything that sheds a negative light on this organization or its players is a distraction. It’s not something that’s pleasant, but I’m paid and paid well to deal with it, and I’ll do that.

On being ready,(particularly Ziggy Hood's ability to step in for Aaron Smith.) 

He’s got a lot of talent. He’s not out of the oven yet, if you will. 

On respecting the opposition

Q: Cleveland’s QB was 2-for-17 last week. I assume you’ll prepare for him the same way you did Jay Cutler who was coming off a bad game.

A: You know, you guys chuckled when I made that reference in regards to Cutler. There’s not enough respect for what professionals are capable of in today’s NFL, if you ask my opinion...As a matter of fact, I know just the opposite:  Usually guys of his caliber do bounce back and respond with favorable performances, so we anticipate him being his best.

On work ethic and improvement

Q: How much better can Rashard get?

A: Boy, he’d better continue to do that...As long as he respects the preparation process and continues to come in here with a humble and willing-to-work demeanor like he has, I see no reason why he doesn’t continue to improve.

On "discussions" with the press and the public

Q: What about closing out games?

A: I’m always going to see room for improvement. I don’t get preoccupied with some of the discussions that we have, to be quite honest with you. There’s always going to be discussions, there are always going to be areas that need improvement. I haven’t answered a running game question here in a couple of weeks. I haven’t answered a protection question here in the last few weeks. The issue now is finishing out games in the fourth quarter. So be it. I just answer questions. As long as we find ways to win, I don’t have any problem with what we talk about.

On playing Legursky at Fullback and the nature of ability. 

Availability is a good ability.

On challenges in football (and life)

Q: Are you worried about your vulnerable secondary late in the game against a great quarterback?

A: No, quite frankly I don’t. This is what you live for. Even when it’s bad in this business, it’s great. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do. I think members of our secondary feel the same way. I know they’ll be chomping at the bit for the challenges of facing a guy the caliber of Philip Rivers. When you do what we do for a living, that’s what you love. 

On excuses (when asked if losing a pro-bowl safety contributed to the defenses fourth quarter collapses)

 I’m not going to dispute that, but at the same time I’m not going to use that as an excuse.

On the doghouse

Q: Is Rashard Mendenhall still in the doghouse? What steps does he need to make to see the field?

A: He is not in the doghouse. I don’t have a doghouse. A doghouse is something you have when you let things stew and you don’t take action. I intend to take action and I’m done with it. 

On the nature of time: 

 Man, next Monday is so far away right now I haven’t even pondered that thought at this time. The world ends on Sunday, as far as I’m concerned.

On winning

I am always surprised when we don’t win.

I am sure there are many more out there. On a related note, I think that we should start taking the real gems and putting them up on Wikiquote.  This may not be a project I can devote time to ( :.